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North Coast
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November 18, 2021
Volume 27, No. 23
Navigating health School District opens NKN Student Health & Wellness Center Hilary Dorsey Staff Writer
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ribbon cutting for the new NKN Student Health & Wellness Center came about Tuesday, Nov. 2. Members from the community attended the ceremony and tour of the new center. Rachel Lee, Neah-Kah-Nie High School student and representative of the NKN Student Health & Wellness Community Advisory Committee, cut the ribbon. The health and wellness center is a collaborative effort between Neah-KahNie School District, Rinehart Clinic & Pharmacy and Oregon Health Authority. Gail Nelson, Rinehart Clinic & Pharmacy CEO, said the center would serve the children of the community, as well as school staff. The center had been in the planning stages for more than two years, with a planning grant from the Oregon Health Authority’s School Based Health Center program. Rinehart Clinic was chosen as the medical sponsor and will staff and operate the center. “Additional funding from the Oregon Health Authority and the Health Resources and A student talks with a Wellness Center Family Nurse Practitioner. Services Administration have Photo courtesy of Trav Williams, Broken Banjo Photography continued to help us move this forward,” Nelson said. tioner Caitlin Simons will be the provide any care a student might new school,” Erlebach said. NKN Student Health & Well- primary provider. Family nurse need.” “We had to create a website, we ness Center is open to all chilpractitioner Leanna Coy, the The center has five different created a logo.” dren pre-K through 12th grade medical director for the center, rooms, including a waiting Community sponsors include who live within the Neah-Kahwill also see patients occasionroom, a restroom, a lab, an exam the Mudd Nick Foundation, Nie School District. The center ally. room and an office, Neah-Kahthe Oregon Health Authority’s will also provide services to Simons said the main goal of Nie School District SuperintenSchool-Based Health Cenany school staff members who the health center is to create a dent Paul Erlebach said. ter Program team, Tillamook wish to seek care. The center is healthy and happy school disErlebach said a lot of thought Family Counseling Center, open two days a week for now, trict. The center will provide a went into where the district Tillamook County Community on Tuesdays and Wednesdays, wide range of services, includwanted to place the center. They Health Centers, First Student, and plans to expand its hours if ing mental health, vaccinations, wanted it to be in a location and the Columbia Pacific Coorneeded. reproductive care and more. visible to all students. The center dinated Care Organization. Two of Rinehart Clinic’s “We will also do care for is located on the north side of primary care providers will staff illnesses and injuries,” Simons Neah-Kah-Nie High School. Send comments to: headlightthe center. Family nurse practisaid. “Really, we’ll be able to “It’s almost like opening a reporter@countrymedia.net
Police services continue at Oswald West, Nehalem Bay State Park Hilary Dorsey
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Staff Writer
anzanita City Council on Wednesday, Nov. 3, approved an intergovernmental agreement with Oregon Parks and Recreation District (OPRD) for police services. The agreement provides police services to Oswald West and Nehalem Bay State Park. “This will provide services to Oswald West and Nehalem Bay State Park for fiscal years 22 and 23,” City Manager Leila Aman said. “We’ve been providing these services to OPRD since 1998.” According to the staff report, the last
contract expired in June. OPRD informed the city that they needed additional time to revise the contracting method to comply with state contracting law. The result is the intergovernmental agreement. Aman said the agreement is $27,500 per year for fiscal year 2022 and fiscal year 2023 for a total of $55,000. The city also receives revenue tom citations issued. Last year, an estimated $23,000 was generated from citations for the city. The contract calls for seven hours of patrolling per week during the high season from June through August and four hours per week from September through May. “We have agreements with Wheeler and Nehalem,” Aman said. “Those were approved
I think back in May, executed in June.” The city will update the agreement in two years, Aman added. Manzanita Police Chief Erik Harth said the department keeps a time sheet for how many hours they spend in the state park, which is billed at the end of the year. “We look at the final hours per year and make sure we’re at that amount,” Harth said. Harth added that Oregon State Police is the primary agency for emergency calls in those parks and the police department is a supplemental service. Send comments to: headlightreporter@ countrymedia.net
County offices open to the public Hilary Dorsey Staff Writer
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The Tillamook County Courthouse has reopened to the public. The Tillamook County Board of Commissioners voted Tuesday, Nov. 9, to open the courthouse so people can come in without an appointment. Commission Chair Mary Faith
Bell said masks are required indoors at all times, as well as social distancing. “The libraries are open,” Bell said. “People are very excited about that.” People can now browse for longer than the previous 15-minute allotments. Vice-Chair David Yamamoto said community development will
be open but due to limited staff, people should make appointments if they can. If going without an appointment, employees will try to take care of you as they have people available. The commissioners’ board meeting room is limited in capacity. There is room for 19 people
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COVID-19 update: Walkin vaccine clinic moves to 4-H dorms Shots also available at Rinehart Clinic, Adventist Health and local pharmacy Hilary Dorsey
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Staff Writer
illamook County had 29 COVID-19 cases over the weekend from Nov. 5 through Nov. 7 and 62 cases for the 7-day case count from Oct. 31 through Nov. 6, Tillamook County Health Department reported. “Cases to date since the start of November have been 69,” Emergency Preparedness Coordinator Ed Colson reported during a Tillamook County Board of Commissioners meeting Wednesday, Nov. 10. “The pandemic case total was 2,074, going all the way back to March 2020.” There have been 42 COVID-related deaths in the county, with 35 of those individuals unvaccinated, one with no vaccine record and six fully vaccinated. The three most recent deaths were from August and September. Tillamook County has one confirmed outbreak and nine pending investigation. As of press time, Oregon Health Authority had not updated the workplace outbreaks for the week of Nov. 10. The previous week, as of Nov. 3, Oregon Health Authority confirmed an outbreak at Tillamook County Creamery Association with 21 cases. “The walk-in clinic has moved to the 4-H dorms [at the fairgrounds] for vaccines starting on the 9th through the 18th,” Colson said. “The flu vaccine, the pneumonia vaccine and all three COVID vaccines for your first, second and third dose or your booster dose and pediatric doses.” The walk-in clinic is open from 8:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. Tuesdays and Thursdays and from 1-5 p.m. Wednesdays. Vaccines are also available at Adventist Health Tillamook, Rinehart Clinic and local pharmacies. “We always strongly encourage people to continue following COVID-19 precautions, following the mask requirements, six feet of distance from those not in your immediate household and wash your hands frequently and take an opportunity, if you haven’t, to get the COVID-19 vaccine,” Colson said. Booster doses are available for those eligible. Those who were vaccinated with the Pfizer of Moderna vaccine and are eligible for a booster shot six months after their second shot include people 65 years and older, people living in a longterm care facility, people 50-64 with underlying medical conditions, and people ages 18-64 with underlying medical conditions or who are at a higher risk of exposure due to where they live or work. Booster shots for the Johnson & Johnson vaccine are available for those who received a shot two months ago and are 18 years and older. Those eligible for a booster may receive either the same or a different COVID-19 vaccine as a booster dose, depending on advice from a health care provider, individual preference and availability. Pediatric doses for those ages 5-11 of the Pfizer vaccine are available at the walk-in clinic, as well as through health care providers. Send comments to: headlightreporter@countrymedia.net